TUESDAY 26 MARCH 20136 to 7.30pmLaw School FoyerSydney Law SchoolEastern AvenueThe University of Sydneyclick here for venue details

Science and the Politics of Emergeny Life: Foucault and Beyond

A Biopolitics of Science/COST Bio-Objects Graduate Workshop

University of Sydney, August 23, 2013

Call for papers

Since Foucault’s proposal of the term "biopolitics" in the 1970s, the consideration of life’s entanglement with social, political and material practices, in concert with science and technology, has opened up in abundant ways: from the ‘politics of life itself’, to the interrogation of biocapital and biovalue, and more recently multispecies ethnography. Increasing attention is being paid to the production, governance, regulation, manipulation, and intensification of human and non-human life (or sometimes the lack thereof). ‘Life’ in these fields is undoubtedly being thought of as more-than-human – including non-human animals, plants, and micro-organisms – and increasingly understood as emergent. The Biopolitics of Science Research Network seeks to promote dialogue across disciplines and foster collaboration on these important issues.

We invite PhD students working within the broad theme of life, politics and science to a graduate workshop to be held at the University of Sydney on the 23rd of August. The aim of this workshop is to showcase postgraduate research, provide support and feedback from senior scholars, and build connections between graduate students in Australia and further afield. The workshop will be co-hosted by the European Union COST Action Bio-objects and their Boundaries, a network of early career scholars who collaborate on work relating to emergent forms of life and their regulation. We welcome abstract submissions from students at any university and from any discipline. Topics of papers could include (but are not limited to) areas such as:

science and technology and

identity politics (race, gender, species),

embodiment,

political economy,

governance,

or environmental justice;

history and philosophy of science; or

science and technology studies theory or methodology.

If you are interested in attending please submit a paper proposal of no more than 250 words, along with your name, affiliation, year of study and contact details, to Rachel Carr at rcar7604[at]uni.sydney.edu.au, by the 17th of June 2013.